Just when we thought Winter was over and Spring had sprung, there’s been a last blast of snow received in South Africa over the last couple of days – in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape (Matroosberg and Swartberg) and Free State! Check out the photos on this page from Snow Report SA.

The first of the snow… at Sani Mountain Lodge – “Guests are so happy to see snow for the first time!”

A series of cold fronts zoomed across parts of the country, bringing about a rather chilly Sunday yesterday and some snowfalls over the south eastern parts of South Africa that were followed by showers.

South Africans have also been warned, by the Department of Water and Sanitation, to prepare themselves for possible localised flooding this summer, even though the expected La Niña may be weak.

La Niña is characterised by unusually cold ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific, compared to El Niño, which is characterised by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific.

The report warned the country of below normal rainfall and warm temperatures during spring.

“There has been a falloff in average dam levels in all provinces with the exception of the Western Cape,” said the department, and promised that it will continue to monitor the 211 nationwide dams on a weekly basis – 12 dams are currently below 10%, 61 are below 40% and 20 dams are above 100%.

“Our national storage is under increasing stress and still shows a steady decline week on week. We need to continue to intensify the enforcement of restrictions to stretch our available water supplies,” the department said.

The department has also warned that the drought is far from over and even with a normal season, it will take a number of years for the system to stabilise.